Natural Area Reserves

(Honolulu) – Forests for Life, is a comprehensive, one-hour documentary that chronicles the life-giving importance of Hawai‘i’s native forests. Set to debut on KFVE-TV (K5) on Friday, January 18th at 7 p.m., the special, produced by the Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), is the culmination of five years of taping and conducting interviews in stunning and remote parts of the state.

(Na‘alehu) – It took a few months to celebrate the milestone, but last night staff and dozens of volunteers for the Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund (HWF) marked reaching 250-tons of marine debris collection just off Hawai‘i island. The group also received a DLNR & You Citizen Conservationists Award in recognition of their efforts.

(Lihue) - Rapid ʻŌhi‘a Death (ROD), a disease killing ʻōhiʻa trees, has been confirmed at two new locations on Kaua‘i. Since ROD was discovered in Moloa‘a State Forest Reserve in 14 trees earlier this year, a collaborative team of scientists from state, federal, and private organizations has been working together to survey the island and develop response plans to an introduced disease threat facing Hawai‘i’s native tree. ʻŌhiʻa is considered foundational to Hawaiian forests and culture.

(Hilo) – Later this month, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) will conduct animal control activities specifically for trapping mouflon/feral sheep hybrids, feral goats, feral sheep, mouflon and mouflon/feral sheep hybrids within in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve (Unit A), Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (Unit K), Palila Mitigation Lands, and the Kaohe Game Management Area (Unit G) on Hawai‘i island. Aerial shooting is required for compliance with a federal court order mandating the removal of sheep and goats from critical habitat for palila, a bird endemic to Hawai‘i.

(Hilo) – During a regularly scheduled quarterly aerial assessment of forests on Hawai‘i island in late July, spotters detected more trees “symptomatic” for the presence of C. lukuohia, the fungus more commonly known as Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. These trees are in the Kalōpā State Recreation Area on the Hamakua Coast and after the helicopter surveys utilizing digital mobile sketch mapping (DMSM), ground crews from the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) followed up by taking ground samples.

(Kihei) -A wise old saying, an ‘olelo no‘eau, sums up what the staff at ‘Āhihi-Kina‘u (NAR) hope people will get out of its new information kiosk: Everybody paddles the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached (E lauhoe mai na wa‘a; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ‘āina).

(Hilo, HI) – Tomorrow will mark a year since the successful reintroduction of critically endangered Hawaiian crows into the forests of Hawai’i. Yesterday researchers with The ʻAlalā Project released five more ‘Alalā into the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve. These birds will join eleven ‘Alalā already thriving in native forests on the windward slopes of Mauna Loa.

DLNR encourages people to remain vigilant for hazards associated with wind and heavy rainfall. Please report any downed trees, or trail washouts, etc. on the Division of Forestry and Wildlife Na Ala Hele Trails website at https://hawaiitrails.hawaii.gov/trails/#/